Clovis East Runs Over Lemoore in Convincing Week 1 Win

Clovis East’s running back AJ Hodgerney looks to drive past a defender during the Aug. 23 game against Lemoore High School. Hodgerney would finished the game with 81 yards and a touchdown. PHOTO BY NUGESSE/CLOVIS ROUNDUP

All of the little things add up to success when it comes to the Clovis East football team. That’s especially true when the little things come from their big linemen.

Senior Clovis East running back Jo’Nation Dejohnette benefitted from his men up front as he rushed for a game-high 157 yards and 2 touchdowns in a lopsided 35-0 victory over the Lemoore Tigers.

“I was able to see the field so well because of my linemen,” Dejohnette said. “The linemen bust their tails off every play and they make big holes for any running back to run through.”

The dominance of this veteran offensive line was clear, as fellow running backs Chandler Hamilton and A.J. Hodgerney also enjoyed their nights in the Clovis East backfield.

Hamilton ran for 93 yards and a touchdown, while Hodgerney totaled 81 yards and a touchdown of his own. Even if their efforts went unnoticed by the casual fan, the boys up front did the little things every play that added up to five touchdowns and over 300 yards of total offense, all of which came from the run game.

The Lemoore offense began running into trouble early in the game, with two first-half interceptions from their quarterback Justin Holaday. Clovis East’s defense pitched a shutout, keeping the Tigers scoreless for all four quarters and limiting Holaday to a measly 58 total passing yards.

Along with the two interceptions, the ravenous defense also forced a fumble from Holaday late in the 4th quarter.

Timberwolves head coach Ryan Reynolds was ecstatic about the three turnovers his team’s defense forced.

“The defense was in the right position for those plays and they took advantage of Lemoore’s mistakes and missed throws. We capitalized and we were where we needed to be. That’s the main thing about this team.”

Right now, this Clovis East squad is right where they want to be – 1-0 after Week 1 and they got there through a combination of outstanding blocking, bruising rushing and an opportunistic defense. With this formula, the Timberwolves can look forward to winning a lot more games this season.

Clovis East (1-0) will go for their second win next week when they travel up to the Bay Area to play the Wood High Wildcats in Vacaville.

Meanwhile, Lemoore (0-1) will look to rebound in their game next week at Chowchilla.

mm
Gabriel Camarillo has written for the Clovis Roundup since August 2019 and follows high school athletics, Fresno State football and former Clovis Unified student-athletes. Gabe also writes for The Collegian as a staff sports writer and works at One Putt Broadcasting as a board op for 940 ESPN radio.